Movie Review Rewind: Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Share This Post

Battle: Los Angeles is a pure adrenaline rush for two hours. It takes no time to pick up and it hardly ever lets up. Ever. It is tense and suspenseful and leaves you exhausted, yet relieved, by the end. At the heart of it, this movie is a war movie. It just so happens the enemy isn’t human and didn’t come in peace.

Director Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) is not too concerned with the depth of the characters or the complexity of a story. This is a straightforward movie with one single focus: the war between humans and aliens. Liebesman captures every bit of action you could possibly dream of and takes you on a wild ride through L.A. with Aaron Eckhart leading the way.

Eckhart plays a Marine staff sergeant who is about to retire but is rushed back into combat when L.A. and the rest of the world becomes under attack by an invasion of aliens. He and the rest of the platoon are sent to rescue some civilians and make it back before the bombs are dropped all over the area. L.A. represents our last stand against these aliens and it cannot be overtaken by them. While the war between us and them is on the ground and in the skies, the platoon comes face to face with these invaders and run into problems they have never encountered before.

We are introduced to most of the guys in the platoon before the battle begins and most of the characters are clichéd. Eckhart’s character is the one we know most about, but only by reputation and from his past experiences on the field. But we do begin to understand who he is and the truth about the stories and rumors that have been passed around about him. While the entire cast does a great job making every scene believable and honest, Eckhart shines as the courageous, dedicated leader of the platoon and of this movie. He takes control and never looks back.

Battle: Los Angeles is an action-packed sci-fi war movie. This is not one of those films that will require you to use your brain and some people will hold that against it. But it does something that all movies should do – it keeps you entertained and on the edge of your seat the entire time. It delivers on what it promises. Now the plot is simplistic and the movie itself may be a little too long, but with explosions, endless and exciting action sequences, and a terrific cast that holds it all together, Battle: Los Angeles is fast-paced, relentless fun and only gives you a few seconds to catch your breath.

“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

Check out the SoBros Shop. Subscribe to our Patreon. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Listen on SoundCloud. Watch on YouTube.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get updates and learn from the best

More To Explore